Published earlier this month, IMechE’s Mobility as a Multiplier: Unlocking the Economic Potential of Inclusive Transport report highlighted both the barriers that exclude people from the transport network and the huge benefits of removing them.
“Millions of people are affected by inaccessible public transport in the UK – women, disabled people, older adults, families, those living in rural areas and members of the LGBTQ+ community may find it more difficult or stressful to travel, and at times impossible. This can limit access to education, employment, volunteer, health, leisure and tourism opportunities, all of which help our communities and economy to thrive,” IMechE senior policy adviser Kahu Te Kani, transport lead for the report, told Professional Engineering.
Disabled people face “all kinds of barriers”, Te Kani added, including boarding and disembarking buses and trains, navigating busy stations, route planning and accessing information about changes or disruptions. Those issues make journeys more difficult and can stop people from travelling at all.
Nearly half of disabled professionals have turned down job opportunities because of transport issues, according to the report, with 2.8 million disabled people effectively locked out of the workforce partly due to transport barriers. One in five shopping trips by disabled consumers are abandoned due to transport barriers, draining up to £22.3bn per year from retail, leisure and tourism.
“We know disabled people take fewer journeys or experience longer, more costly journeys. This shouldn’t be the case – and with some investment, it doesn’t have to be,” Te Kani said.
Last November, IMechE’s En Route to Inclusive Public Transport report made recommendations to government, operators and owners to remove barriers, and highlighted the vital role of engineers.
The new report argues that inaccessible transport is also a major brake on economic growth, productivity and the UK’s future prosperity. Removing transport barriers to employment for disabled people could bring an £88.2bn annual economic boost, researchers found, while closing the disability employment gap – which would rely on removing all barriers, including measures other than transport improvements – could bring a total ‘gross value added’ of £176.4bn.
“The government absolutely has a duty to provide equal access to opportunity and ensure the best value for public spending. With significant economic growth potential just waiting to be unlocked, the business case for government investing in inclusive transport makes itself, with a significant benefit-cost return,” said James Partington, IMechE director of policy and impact.
The transport system is complex and no change will be “entirely straightforward”, Te Kani said. Creating a fully inclusive rail network could cost £20-24bn, according to the new analysis.
Addressing specific barriers could reap significant rewards, however. Providing level train boarding through a system-wide platform upgrade programme “would go a long way in making the network more inclusive,” Te Kani said. “When speaking to us in March, [Paralympian and TV presenter] Baroness Grey-Thompson reflected on the positive experiences of travelling in Spain and Switzerland, where at least one carriage has level boarding, which meant she could get on and off independently. The UK could be right up there with these leading nations if we grasp the opportunity for ambitious change through the current railway reform.
“We welcome the Department for Transport’s commitment to researching level boarding through the Accessible Railways Roadmap, but bold action is what is needed to reap the rewards.”
The creation of a single, real-time national transport data platform is another improvement that could be made, Partington said. Such a platform would enable passengers to plan journeys with confidence, while equipping operators to identify and resolve accessibility barriers before they disrupt travel.
Tax incentives for accessibility upgrades could unlock rapid private investment, turning inclusion from a compliance issue into a growth opportunity and accelerating improvements across stations, vehicles and infrastructure. A new Enhanced Capital Allowance could give businesses 130% tax relief for investing in inclusive infrastructure, while closing the accessibility gap could generate between £10.25bn and £34.17bn in extra annual fare revenue.
“The future UK transport system should be accessible, efficient and reliable, and work for all users. It should support people to get to work, education, shopping, healthcare and deliver for Britain’s vital tourism industry, to unlock benefit for society as a whole,” Partington said.
“We’re calling for better incentives for private investment, more readily available data, and inclusive design and co-production to be embedded into engineering foundations. If these three things happen, it will go a long way in helping close the transport accessibility gap currently excluding up to 2.8 million disabled people from employment and other opportunities. The future system could see millions more people able to travel independently and with dignity.”
The benefits would travel even further, he added. “It’s not just disabled people who will benefit from an inclusive transport system. It will be easier for families and older people to get around – a growing concern for our ageing society. Businesses will gain from greater spending power, with up to £446bn annually plugged straight into our economy. Pressure on the NHS could ease as costs fall from fewer missed appointments due to transport issues.
“If we grasp the opportunity for economic growth now, every Brit will benefit in the future.”
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.